


Halloween

by IWasHereMomentsAgo



Category: Havemercy Series - Jaida Jones & Danielle Bennett
Genre: "ONE DAY I'LL STOP WRITING CRACK" i yell at the sky, "incorrect" it tells me, Happy halloween, M/M, also brief background - madoka and laure are totes an ot3 with adamo, also caius/toverre is totes canon, bye, except madoka and laure are also pirate queens and go off on advenures, i am a facsimile of a sham of a fax of a person, one day i'm going to write that fic, so i don't have to explain it in the tags every time i write fic, the sky is not convinced and looks down at me in pity, the sky knows it and i know it and yet i still pretend otherwse, wHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT FOR
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-31
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-23 07:20:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2539178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IWasHereMomentsAgo/pseuds/IWasHereMomentsAgo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One Halloween, Royston makes a discovery about Hal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Halloween

It wasn’t that I hated Halloween, it was just that people in Thremedon tended to take the holiday much more seriously than people in the country ever had.

Last year, Royston had taken me to a masquerade party at the palace. He had had us beautiful masks made up, more expensive and detailed than I was comfortable with, especially along with the new suits he had also insisted upon. I had to refuse to wear the cape he’d brought home out of fear of tripping over it and embarrassing us both in front of the nobility, but of course that hadn’t stopped Royston from donning his and somehow looking the picture of elegance despite the absurd amount of material.  He didn’t _stay_ the picture of elegance, however, for after slightly too much wine he had us both spinning together on the dance floor, my only refuge the mask behind which I hid my blush, and his billowing cape, behind which I tried to hide the _rest_ of me. Despite my own feelings on the event, Royston had had the best time, having been centre of attention for the majority of the night, and had decided that this year we ought to host our own party. The only issue being the somewhat more notable party being held at the palace. According to Royston, the Esarina adored masquerade parties because it afforded her the anonymity to ‘fully participate in the festivities alongside whomever she chose to participate  _with_ ’, and had given me a knowing smile. He didn’t seem to realise that I had been lost as to his meaning, and that instead of replying I had simply continued putting spiderwebs on the clutter I had cleared away from the middle of the room to push up against the back wall. I liked to think I was making a statement, and that Royston would perhaps think to put some of his books away in their proper places when it came time to tidy the decorations up, though I knew even as I carefully placed a fake spider I had made on top of his poetry books that he wouldn’t take the hint.

The only person who had ended up choosing our party over the one at the palace had been Adamo, but Royston wasn’t letting that spoil his mood - or had _stopped_ letting that spoil his mood once he’d spent a few hours muttering to himself that he had assumed at least _Caius_ and his boy would have the good nature to show up for an hour or so _before_ going to the palace, and that he had been to the Wildgrave Ozanne’s horrible birthday party that one time and it would only be _polite_ for Ozanne to make an appearance _,_ and what were Owen’s girls doing out at sea at this time of year _anyway_ and didn’t Laure and Madoka know that even people who fancied themselves pirates ought to at least RSPV? But I had managed to talk him into helping me put out candles and that had seemed to kickstart his investment in the festivities - he had even bought us both pumpkins to carve. Neither of us were any good at it, as it turned out, and we were both picking pieces of it out of our hair as we finished decorating, but at least he had cheered up in time for Adamo to arrive.

Royston was even further pleased when it transpired that Adamo had brought alcohol and an message from Toverre passed via Luvander that he and Caius would in fact be dropping by before the masquerade ball after all. All things considered, the night seemed to be turning out quite well, not least because I knew it wouldn’t end with me having to hide myself behind a cape as I was spun around the palace.

And that was when they both found out.

“Halloween,” Royston had been telling Adamo, slurring his words slightly, “is a wonderful excuse for a party, you know, Owen, it’s really-”

It was then that he had noticed that I had instinctively looked up at the first word, and Royston frowned at me. “Do you disagree?”

I could feel my cheeks beginning to colour. “No, of course not.”

His lips turned up into a curious smile. I had always known that Royston would eventually have to find out, but not in front of _Adamo_. I was doomed. “Then what?”

I cleared my throat. “It’s just-” and I found my words stuck. I looked from Adamo to Royston. “It’s only that it was an instinctive -  because, you see -,” and I wondered if I said it very quickly, we could also be finished with the conversation very quickly and never mention it again.

Their blank faces after I had spoken told me we were _not_ to be finished with this conversation very quickly at all. _I_ hadn’t even understood what I had just tried to say. “Pardon?” Royston asked. 

I took a deep breath. “It’s my name.”

Royston still looked lost, but I knew Adamo had understood because he looked like all of his Christmases had come at once. “ _No_ ,” he said. “It’s _not_.”

“ _What’s_ not?” Royston asked.

“You don’t even know your boy’s full name?” Adamo asked, and Royston fixed me with a look.

“Halloween,” I said helplessly. “It’s what Hal’s short for.”

There were a few seconds of silence, and I held on to them, because I knew what was coming. Adamo started to laugh. It was soft at first, like it wasn't  _that_ funny, but it  _was_ that funny - even I knew that - and it built and built until he was gasping for breath on the sofa, tears streaming down his face.  I was laughing too by that point, at Adamo's reaction, at the ridiculousness of everything.

I did, however, think it very loyal of Royston to hide his smile behind his wine glass and pretend there was nothing funny at all.

 

 


End file.
